Memphis City Schools not as bad as you guys make out

[Huckleberry3911948]

oh i beg to differ sur
true memphis story--- K12-----my cousins good friend, a teacher, was gang raped in a stair well after hours, 2 of them were her own students, she left did not report it-- took a job in northern mississippi.

[(901)]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

When you say give out dicipline are you talking about suspension or actually hitting the student? I personally think its sad that the students feel like using racial slurs at you. What type of history does the institution have that has created that negative energy? No I don't believe that every adult has the dicernment to spank children. Just by listening to them talk. By you writing letum kill each other you probably don't need to be working with kids period.

Well, I see you running off at the gums ^ What have you done to try to help the situation other then talk/type?

I didn't actually mean letum kill 1 another, but its frustrating..you walk a mile why don'tcha

[clobbersaurus01]

Originally Posted by strumpeace

There are exceptions to most every rule, of course. However, I would never make a recommendation based on an exception. Overall, MCS is a terrible, awful district. When folks come on here for advice, we could easily tell them to chase the right district lines or plan to stand in line for hours on end to get their children into a school clear across town. But I won't do that. It's a shame that newcomers are expected to jump through hoops just to find that one needle in the haystack.

They aren't really needles in the haystack, though. If so, they are glowing with bioluminescence. Just from reading the first page, the same needles are noticed by most people. In that case, they have developed a pretty consistent, widespread reputation around the community as being the exceptions. They aren't hard to find. They are just disappointingly rare.

Hopefully the strategy that is improving Ridgeway can be spread to the next high school. And the next one after that. It may be slow, but it's better than nothing.

[clobbersaurus01]

Let's be clear. The public schools in the city are not at the level that even the most ardent boosters would like them to be. That I think we can all agree on.

What are constructive solutions? Memphis is not alone in any of these anecdotes, true or not (and when you get to multiple levels of hearsay, clearly one has to wonder about credibility versus desire of the source to create an impression -- in Memphis' case, often an insidious, demonic impression).

Education at the college and high school level is critical in helping a region with Memphis' assets realize its potential. Yet, like I said, Memphis is not alone in the violence, in the social promotion, in the skewed focus away from teaching and toward test result statistics.

One suggestion I have is to explore the private sector getting involved in the public schools and expanding a concept of executive coaching to students. Here in Tucson, I have heard a presentation from an organization called Touchpoint (not for profit). They train volunteers (usually professionals with their corporations' support) to meet with a student selected after application once a week to help with goal-setting and problem solving, but replacing the mentor relationship with a coaching method. The claim is that, in Seattle, such tactics resulted in lower behavioral referrals and improved classroom attendance.

I don't know if there is statistical success here in Tucson, since it's only been in place for this semester. I also don't claim that success in other cities would translate here in Memphis. The benefits are that, if the private sector finds a value in it, and if the/a school is interested and allowed to cooperate, no public funds would go to the coaches. And the coaches/professionals are motivated b/c they are volunteers. And, of course, the benefit of improved performance of the students. Many teachers here cite two problems hindering their ability to perform -- students' attendance and behavior, and that is sourced at lack of or misdirected motivation. Then the next step is that those problems are sourced to a lack of involvement from parents. You can't force students into two-parent households. The world just doesn't work that way. And you can't force students to have involved parents, although there are things that can be done to improve that situation. What this does though is, for the lucky few, it helps provide an adult who is trained not to go through the mentor route, but a coaching route devoted to helping the player find their goal and their path to it.

One problem I learned about is that the public schools here have to squeeze time away from something else for this program, and there is much bureaucracy to overcome.

But it's a constructive suggestion attached to a critique. It may not work, but there are several critiques and ad hominem attacks that could use constructive addendums to make them remotely relevant.

I know there are holes in the Touchpoint plan, and they should be addressed. I also know there are people who look for reasons not to try, and look for reasons why something will not succeed. I refuse to join such an insidious, and imo cowardly, mindset. Not for my city.

[girlcitizen]

The schools in Midtown are generally better than others for a reason. Look at the demographic of the area and how property value rises around Overton Park, Central Gardens, etc. Now leave Midtown and most surrounding MCS schools will be a different story. Simply looking at online data is foolish. Unless you know people who work in the schools - you won't know what you are dealing with until your child becomes enrolled there. Peabody and Snowden receive very high marks and are generally favored by nearby residents I believe.

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by (901)

Well, I see you running off at the gums ^ What have you done to try to help the situation other then talk/type?

I didn't actually mean letum kill 1 another, but its frustrating..you walk a mile why don'tcha

I thought that I was asking some valid questions and contributing to the dialogue. If you answer the questions that may help you and me understand the situation so we could do more to help.

You're the one that typed letum kill 1 another. We can't read your mind. So I take ie that you feel that way. I don't understand the walk a mile statement?